New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-19
THEaAHSnIN A GIRLS SCHOOL
,ouN cHrNAMAN ILLUSTRATES A LECTURE.
ann currpyuL p1RATE-THE MUSIC OF THE ORIENT.


.hon, the prosperous school for young ladies which
.; On conspicuous feature Of the lie OF this New
F.cland village. At least everybody who knows Oh
rarmin ton must know of the school, for the schoo
Fauningion Without IT, the village would De quiet
and stad enough Having it, the village possesses an
a,;mat1on and spirit which seems TO fire even the
goods and the mountains with purpose IL lies pacK
tn,the hills few miles from the railroad station, So
.Irdsd among great groves of elms and naples ana
oats where the bracing air bears no other freight
tban the perfumes of flowers and the songs OF oiros
and where nothing ipterferes with the spirit of edu
,on and refinement which this school mas cultivated
during halt a century
II. 1ropretres Miss Porter the sister OF the former
rrasideut of Yale College, is progressive woman
She ut,zes everything and everybody that can serve
a., ;mr rove the minds OF her pupils or to throw hght
non.tbeir studies Perhaps nothing better illustrates
,is fact than the lectures on music which Der musica
S;r,ctor Mr. Boekeman. has instituted. The iast OF
thsse delivered on Tuesday evening by Mr.. H. Il.
E~ahh;oI was on the subject Of Chinese music.
theme that first sight scarcely looks suggestive VI
much tina could assist the study OF the musical art IN
its present stage, and vet before be was Done INC
lecturer made it clear that the lowly Wings and Hos
and Kiaugs and ITEMS of the Celestial Empire the
home of HIS August Mightiness, the Son OF hea'en'
know good deal about music
, Mr. Krehbiel, who has given much study To the
music of the Orient, and who possesses an extensive
acquaintance among the heathens OF hott-st, was
accompanied by Chinese band OF four pieces ihey
a
frst suggestion that they should 60 with him to arm
;ngtou the wary Cinnamon desired him to come OF
and inquired with deep suspicion "what he was CIV
ipg tbemn They did not refer to his otter OF
pesuniary reward. The question was simply trans
intion Into Chinese .of the welknown Hoodlum
ohrase g All, come of! Watcher givin usP III tooh
of patient assurance to allay these feelings OF
doubt In the celestial mind. They had vague nouon
that they were being led TO Mclean slaughter ana
for long while met Mr.. Krehbiels advances WIN no
%h,p thA
should "pules downee him vest" 1t Is thus that tine
smpe-miuded gentlemen from the East are corrupted
by their life among the flag ends OF civilization.
In the course of time, however, Mr. krehpiers arts
proved irresistible and the heathens agreed with hn'
for price 10 come to Pennington and TO soo,he the
cars of Miss Porers young ladies with the melody OF
their vhang- bangs and their kwing-tings. They ar
rived at the Grand Central Depot loaded down Win
smiles aud queer-lookina instruments. lhey were
conducted into of the Wagner cars, ana deposeu
with much pomp and ceremony In push-covered ar
chairs They introduced themselves as An Man. An
Twai, All Tien and All Ting.
9Why are you all called All Y" asked one VINO
looked as his regular profession were that OF prae
s'Ah alice samee Misiee" he said conceueu
that 1t seemed triAe misty, but bis meaning was
finally made Gear by the explanation that AL Was
heather for Mr."
The celestial gentleman who suggested piraucal
history was OF peculiarly communicative turn Oh
mind. He drew package of Virginia made cigarettes
gazed cheorully out among the squatters OF Harlem
heights and remarked, Fine countlee.'
Being still curious to know if he we're really red
handed rover of the sea- bethought myself OF MT.
Robert Louis Stevensons blood-curdling atty ana
when the heather was engaged IN smoke-enshrouded
reyeIe suddenly Kissed at him;
Fifteen men on a dead mans chest,
Yo no and a bottle O. rum
He started. With swift wave OF the hand ne
a;snelled tue smoke. A smile broke over the entire
spread of his jaw, and his little moon eyes grew
STRANGELY bright. "Ah, ha" said TO myself, How
craitily have caught this junk-sailing avenger"
He spoke. "Rump he said. "You dlinkee rum :
Cbinamanse be takee beer" and the smile which
had lod ,cd for moment under his shot upward
and twitohed merriy around his temples
The Mongols were quartered at Pennington in the
delightful Offices OF Mr.. Boekelmsn. There they
DIR ed and did doleu and wondrous things with their
instruments which they alleged to be necessary In
order to bring them into tune There tor The first time
they saw piano and in experimenting with it, it was
noticed that they used only the black keys. The
white ones they did not seem to have curiosity enough
even to sound.
The young ladies gazed with profound interest at
their strange visitors. Nothing could seem more in
congruous than a Chinaman in girls school. These
Cinnamon evidently thought so. they looked at each
other as for support and cast shy, tid gances at
the pretty faces and bright costumes all around them
The youhg ladies did their utmost to encourage the
tmid heathens They smiled in their most reassuring
way and said as plainly as looks could speak, Now
don't be frightened. We may look dangerous but
we really aren't. We would no more hurt poor
stranger sojourning in foreign land than we would
turn our ba cks upon a Yalesian gee club or eight
cared crew. II you knew well, you would see that
nothing il further from thoughts than schemes to
hdnap you or do you personal violence. Let not
your hearts be troubled" The Mongos must have
perceiy ed indication OF this friendly disposition
rian aafa lr rcd
in their corner though they shot out many iurve and
suspicious side glances yet their peace OF mind seemed
measurably restored.
ANYTHING more dense and impenetrable than the
faces of these yellow-tnted little men, sitting stoop
shouldered 10 their queer meal-bag dresses during
MrKrehtieis talk, wonld be hard to find The cobbie
stones OF Broadway have more expression. They
scarcely winked their haltcosed eyes. and yet they
did not look sleepy They scarcely moved their
crouched figures, and yet they did not seem tired.
They simply wrapped themselves in that rubberlke
Eastern irnpenetrability and gave heed to nothing
Efr. Krebbiels address was novel. 1t began with
dainty legend narrating the origin of music as
science. During the reign OF Hvang-ti, GOO years
b. O. the Emperor badc the sage Lng-lum that lie
should learn and formulate the principles of melody.
The sage went to the remoter province OF S-Yung.
where the bamboo grew and while meditating there.
he heard the sound Of the Hoang Ho the song of the
sacred river. He cut bamboo reed and blew into II ;
Il was as the sound OF his voice and OF the sacred
rivers murmur Then the wonder-birus began to
sing around him the male bird Gang with six perfect
tones and the female bird with six imperfect
He cool realized that one Of the tones was as the
sound OF his voice and OF the rivers murDur, and
he said Truly, that Is the fundamental tone of the
universe" He cut bamboos and produced all the
notes of the wonder. birds, basng them upon the
primal note and from these formed the just law. of
music.
What he truly described as a startling paradox was
discussed By Mr.. Krehbel-the arrested development
OF Chinese music The Chinese play to-day just as
they did 1000 years ago. The art as 1t was then has
been pe,ri6ed by a fantastic system OF mental phil
osophy and an adamsntne conservatism" So that In
considering the condition of the musical art in China
to-day we have an actual sight of what the system
and practice at the time of Plato. " The refinement
in their knowledge OF music" said the lecturer, is
ahr Id 1he